National parks could get more cell, Internet connectivity

Rocky Mountain National Park not on short list for pilot program

Rocky Mountain National Park is not on the short list for a pilot program that will bring expanded cellphone and Internet connectivity to national parks across the U.S.
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Juley Harvey
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Concern is being voiced in some circles about a plan to greatly increase cellular and Internet connectivity in some of the last places people might hope to get away from it all --national parks.

The plan is to be launched on a pilot basis. Rocky Mountain National Park is not on the short list of candidate parks at which the initiative -- reportedly to include, at first, five parks -- is to be launched.

"There is going to be a pilot project," said National Park Service spokesman Jeffrey Olson. "I don't have the names of the parks. They haven't been chosen yet. There is a short list of 10 to 12, and I think next week we might know which parks those are."

Olson said that Rocky Mountain National Park is not on that list. He was not able to say whether Mesa Verde National Park, in the southwest corner of the state, is one of the pilot parks.

In an email, Rocky Mountain National Park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said, "I'm not familiar with any new aspects concerning this at RMNP with expanded cellular or Internet connectivity. ... We already have Wi-Fi at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and Kawuneeche Visitor Center."

For those parks involved, change could be coming soon.

"We don't have a start date yet, but it could be this summer if things move along," Olson said. "It would probably be a couple of seasons before we make any decisions" about expansion of the program. "We would, of course, welcome public input. We're guessing that there will be interest from the public, and we will have formal input processes."

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The plan is being pursued by the park service in cooperation with the National Park Hospitality Association, which represents concessionaires that operate stores, lodges and other commercial outlets within the parks.

Proponents of the initiative say the plan is not to wire every nook and cranny within the 59 national parks, which cover nearly 52 million acres across the U.S. Instead, the emphasis is on boosting cellphone and Internet coverage at park entrances, lodges, visitor centers and major traffic corridors.

"We're not wiring the backcountry," Olson said. "We know people are going to be worried about solitude in the parks. This is a pilot project, and we are aware of some criticisms already."

The strongest gripe to date comes from the 10,000-member Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a service organization representing people who work in pollution control, land management and public health agencies.

A news release issued by PEER raised the specter of "Disney-fying" the national park experience, complete with the replacement of park guides by "corporate icons."

Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, said in an interview Thursday, "These facilities being put up are private facilities to serve commercial subscribers, so it's private use of public land, and it impacts park values.

"Among the values are solitude. If you are going to get away from it all, you don't want to be disturbed by what we call the incessant chirping of the cellphones of people ordering pizza or talking to their stockbroker. There are also safety concerns, with distracted drivers. It's not only the human health factor, but also, in some of the larger parks, you have a fair amount of wildlife being killed by drivers now."

The initiative was defended by Derrick Crandall, counselor to the NPHA. He argued that increased connectivity is demanded by contemporary travelers, old and young, who are increasingly less inclined to leave their favorite technology at home.

"For PEER to throw a hand grenade like this is unappreciated, and frankly, they're missing an opportunity to be a constructive player at a critical time," Crandall said.

He said one example of how the increased connectivity can benefit park visitors is that, through the creation of "hot" Wi-Fi zones at park entrances and visitor centers, people will be able to download up-to-the-minute information on the park, rather than be handed a bundle of generic pamphlets and fliers that don't necessarily reflect current conditions and the most up-to-date visitor opportunities.

"Those are often printed up to a year in advance and might talk about Rocky Mountain National Park in the most generic terms," Crandall said. "Instead, people will now be able to download an app that tells them about the trails, the status of the trails, the weather, and what they should be doing in terms of preparing for their experience."

Development by telecommunications carriers of less conspicuous, directional antennas, Crandall said, is eliminating the need for intrusive towers and should greatly mitigate concerns of visual pollution in wilderness areas.

"If somebody wants a Domino's pizza delivered out of Estes Park and they are sitting up there two miles off the trail, they're not going to be able to do that," Crandall said.

"But, on the other hand, if someone hits an elk and they need to alert somebody and they're driving along the road, they're going to be able to make an instant call."

Eli Helmuth, a rock, alpine and ski mountaineering guide certified by the American Mountain Guides Association and who lives in Estes Park, called greater park connectivity a "two-edged sword."

He said existing limited cellphone service within Rocky Mountain National Park has already twice enabled him to initiate rescue efforts during his decade-plus of guiding work there. But on the other hand, Helmuth said he can imagine outdoors adventurers abusing the increased connectivity to call for unneeded rescue efforts. Also, he said it could trigger more reckless behavior on the part of people who know there's a safety net of easier connectivity to emergency responders.

"With the wilderness experience, part of the experience is getting away from cellphones and email," Helmuth said.

"I know you have the option not to bring it with you. We have somewhere in the ballpark of 1 percent wilderness in the lower 48 states. Can we leave ... maybe, this 1 percent, that doesn't need cell coverage?"

He answered his own question, saying, "It seems like it's probably inevitable."

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